Russian super-GM Vladimir Kramnik completely dominated this year's elite group at Dortmund, Germany in July. The tournament has always been a favourite with the ex-world champion; this being the tenth time he has won it. This year he departed from his previous safety-first first style, in that he took many more risks and drew less than half his games. At the half-way mark in the six-player double round-robin, Kramnik lead on 4½/5, an amazing 1½ points ahead of Vietnamese GM Quang Liem Le. 50% in the second half (including a last round loss when the tournament victory was sewn up) was enough to maintain the same winning margin. Le, the only undefeated player, was second on 5½/10, ahead of Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine) and Anish Giri (Netherlands) on 5, Hikaru Nakamura (USA) on 4½ and local entrant Georg Meier on 3 points. In today's game Kramnik takes uncharacteristic risks as Black to beat the bottom-ranked German GM, Meier.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+
Black's odd-looking bishop moves are quite normal in this line of the Queen's Indian Defence: The first makes White to spend a move defending the c-pawn prior to moving his bishop to g2, and the second misplaces White's dark-squared bishop, which would rather take up the queenside fianchetto. 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 O-O 8.Nc3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.O-O Re8 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.Ne5 Na6 13.Bf4 h6 14.Nb5!? Bf8!
White's knight sortie seems to be new, but Black is unfazed as the threat to set up a bloackade on c6 is more apparent than real: 15 Nc6?! Qd7! 16 Nbxa7 (or 16 Qc2 Re6) 16...Rxa7 17 Nxa7 Ra8 18 Nb5 Qxb5 19 Bxc7 Ba3! and Black's active pieces gain the advantage despite a slight material deficit. 15.Bh3 c5 16.a3 Ne4 17.Rc2 g6 18.Qc1 g5!?
Black is prepared to accept a structural weakness in return for inconveniencing White's pieces. 19.Be3 Bg7 20.Nf3 Qe7 21.Rd1 Rad8!?
A pawn sacrifice to lure the knight into dangerous territory. In ensuring its return White must give ground to Black's pieces. 22.Nxa7 Nd6 23.a4 ---
Protecting b5 but releasing b4 for the black knight. The alternative 23 dxc5 bxc5 24 Bxc5 Nxc5 25 Rxc5 Qxe2 26 Nd4 Bxd4 27 Rxd4 Qe1+! 28 Bf1 Re2! 29 Qxe1 Rxe1 seems to give Black enough compensation for his material deficit. 23.--- Nb4 24.dxc5 bxc5 25.Rxc5 Na2 26.Qc2 Nb4 27.Qc1 Nc4!?
Committing to further sacrifices, rather than take the draw by repetition. 28.bxc4 d4 29.Bxg5?! ---
The risk pays off as White misses the counter sacrifice 29 Rxd4! Rxd4 30 Nxd4! Qxc5 31 Nf5 Qa5 32 Nxg7 Kxg7 33 Nb5! Qxa4 34 Nd6 Rb8(?) 35 Bxg5! with a winning attack. 29.--- Qxc5 30.Bxd8 d3 31.Ne1? ---
The position is still dynamically balanced after 31 e4! Qxa7 with Black's passed pawn neutralising White's extra ones. E.g. 32 Qa3 Qc5 33 Rb1 Rxd8 34 Qxb4 Qxb4 35 Rxb4 Bxe4 36 Bg2 Bg6! 37 c5 d2 38 Nxd2 Rxd2 39 Bf3 when White should hold. 31.--- Rxe2!
With so many White pieces en pris, Black ignores them all and strikes at the heart of White's position: the pawn on f2. 32.Qf4 ---
The alternative defence, giving back a piece to block the diagonal by 32 Bb6!? Qxb6 33 c5 Qxa7 34 Nxd3 Nxd3 35 Rxd3 still loses after 35 ...Qa5! 36 Bf1 Re1 37 Rd1 Qxa4! 38 Rd8+ Re8 and the extra bishop will tell. 32.--- Rxf2! White Resigns
After the forced 33 Qxf2 Bd4 34 Qxd4 Qxd4+ 35 Kf1 Black will win the rook with 35 ...d2.
Kramnik crushes opposition at Dortmund
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
Russian super-GM Vladimir Kramnik completely dominated this year's elite group at Dortmund, Germany in July. The tournament has always been a favourite with the ex-world champion; this being the tenth time he has won it. This year he departed from his previous safety-first first style, in that he took many more risks and drew less than half his games.
At the half-way mark in the six-player double round-robin, Kramnik lead on 4½/5, an amazing 1½ points ahead of Vietnamese GM Quang Liem Le. 50% in the second half (including a last round loss when the tournament victory was sewn up) was enough to maintain the same winning margin. Le, the only undefeated player, was second on 5½/10, ahead of Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine) and Anish Giri (Netherlands) on 5, Hikaru Nakamura (USA) on 4½ and local entrant Georg Meier on 3 points.
In today's game Kramnik takes uncharacteristic risks as Black to beat the bottom-ranked German GM, Meier.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nf3 b6
4.g3 Ba6
5.b3 Bb4+
Black's odd-looking bishop moves are quite normal in this line of the Queen's Indian Defence: The first makes White to spend a move defending the c-pawn prior to moving his bishop to g2, and the second misplaces White's dark-squared bishop, which would rather take up the queenside fianchetto.
6.Bd2 Be7
7.Bg2 O-O
8.Nc3 d5
9.cxd5 exd5
10.O-O Re8
11.Rc1 Bb7
12.Ne5 Na6
13.Bf4 h6
14.Nb5!? Bf8!
White's knight sortie seems to be new, but Black is unfazed as the threat to set up a bloackade on c6 is more apparent than real: 15 Nc6?! Qd7! 16 Nbxa7 (or 16 Qc2 Re6) 16...Rxa7 17 Nxa7 Ra8 18 Nb5 Qxb5 19 Bxc7 Ba3! and Black's active pieces gain the advantage despite a slight material deficit.
15.Bh3 c5
16.a3 Ne4
17.Rc2 g6
18.Qc1 g5!?
Black is prepared to accept a structural weakness in return for inconveniencing White's pieces.
19.Be3 Bg7
20.Nf3 Qe7
21.Rd1 Rad8!?
A pawn sacrifice to lure the knight into dangerous territory. In ensuring its return White must give ground to Black's pieces.
22.Nxa7 Nd6
23.a4 ---
Protecting b5 but releasing b4 for the black knight. The alternative 23 dxc5 bxc5 24 Bxc5 Nxc5 25 Rxc5 Qxe2 26 Nd4 Bxd4 27 Rxd4 Qe1+! 28 Bf1 Re2! 29 Qxe1 Rxe1 seems to give Black enough compensation for his material deficit.
23.--- Nb4
24.dxc5 bxc5
25.Rxc5 Na2
26.Qc2 Nb4
27.Qc1 Nc4!?
Committing to further sacrifices, rather than take the draw by repetition.
28.bxc4 d4
29.Bxg5?! ---
The risk pays off as White misses the counter sacrifice 29 Rxd4! Rxd4 30 Nxd4! Qxc5 31 Nf5 Qa5 32 Nxg7 Kxg7 33 Nb5! Qxa4 34 Nd6 Rb8(?) 35 Bxg5! with a winning attack.
29.--- Qxc5
30.Bxd8 d3
31.Ne1? ---
The position is still dynamically balanced after 31 e4! Qxa7 with Black's passed pawn neutralising White's extra ones. E.g. 32 Qa3 Qc5 33 Rb1 Rxd8 34 Qxb4 Qxb4 35 Rxb4 Bxe4 36 Bg2 Bg6! 37 c5 d2 38 Nxd2 Rxd2 39 Bf3 when White should hold.
31.--- Rxe2!
With so many White pieces en pris, Black ignores them all and strikes at the heart of White's position: the pawn on f2.
32.Qf4 ---
The alternative defence, giving back a piece to block the diagonal by 32 Bb6!? Qxb6 33 c5 Qxa7 34 Nxd3 Nxd3 35 Rxd3 still loses after 35 ...Qa5! 36 Bf1 Re1 37 Rd1 Qxa4! 38 Rd8+ Re8 and the extra bishop will tell.
32.--- Rxf2!
White Resigns
After the forced 33 Qxf2 Bd4 34 Qxd4 Qxd4+ 35 Kf1 Black will win the rook with 35 ...d2.
0-1
Solution: 1 Nf6+! gxf6 (1...Kf8 2 Qh8#) 2 Rg5+! gxf6 3 Qh8#.